How to Schedule Meetings Across Time Zones Using Eastern Time

New York sets the clock for half the world's deals

When a US company says "let's talk at 10," they almost always mean 10 AM Eastern. The New York Stock Exchange opens at 9:30 AM ET. US federal court filing deadlines run on Eastern Time. Webinar hosts default to ET for international English-language events. If you work with anyone in North America, you need to know ET.

The problem: ET is not a fixed offset. From early November to mid-March, Eastern Time is EST, UTC−5. From mid-March to early November, it is EDT, UTC−4. The clocks change at 2:00 AM local time on the second Sunday of March (spring forward) and the first Sunday of November (fall back). In 2026, the spring forward happens March 8; the fall back happens November 1. In 2027, spring forward is March 14; fall back is November 7.

Ignore the DST switch and you will be one hour off for half the year. That is the mistake.

ET to London: 5 hours ahead in winter, 4 in summer

London is 5 hours ahead of EST and 4 hours ahead of EDT. On 15 January, 9:00 AM ET is 2:00 PM in the UK capital. On 15 July, 9:00 AM ET is 1:00 PM there.

The common overlap sits at 9:00-10:00 AM ET, which lands at 2:00-3:00 PM GMT in winter and 1:00-2:00 PM BST in summer. That works well: the US person starts their day, the UK person finishes their afternoon. A 4:00 PM ET call in winter is 9:00 PM across the Atlantic. Too late. An 8:00 AM ET call in summer is 12:00 PM there. Tight but possible.

The way this goes wrong: a US team books a recurring 10:00 AM session in January, which is 3:00 PM in the British Isles. When March arrives, the US clock springs forward but the UK clock already changed a week earlier. The call becomes 9:00 AM ET, 2:00 PM local. People miss it. The fix: check the offset on the actual date, not the date you set it up.

ET to continental Europe: always 6 hours

Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and Rome sit 6 hours ahead of both EST and EDT. Paris in January is UTC+1; in July it is UTC+2. New York is UTC−5 in January and UTC−4 in July. The gap is always 6 hours. Simpler than London.

Morning ET equals afternoon CET/CEST. A 9:00 AM ET call becomes 3:00 PM in Paris. A 10:00 AM ET call becomes 4:00 PM. That is the sweet spot. A 2:00 PM ET call becomes 8:00 PM in Paris. End of day for many Europeans. A 4:00 PM ET call becomes 10:00 PM. Too late.

The common mistake: treating Europe like the UK. During summer, the British capital is 4 hours ahead of ET but Paris is 6 hours ahead. Apply the wrong offset and you are two hours off. Always check the specific city.

ET to India: 10.5 hours in winter, 9.5 in summer

India Standard Time (IST) is UTC+5:30. In January, when New York is EST (UTC−5), the gap is 10.5 hours. In July, when New York is EDT (UTC−4), the gap is 9.5 hours. That half-hour offset catches people who assume whole-hour gaps.

A 10:00 AM ET call in January is 8:30 PM in Mumbai. A 10:00 AM ET call in July is 7:30 PM in Mumbai. Evening ET equals next morning IST. The usable overlap is narrow. For India, the best window is 7:00-9:00 AM ET, which becomes 5:30-7:30 PM IST in winter and 4:30-6:30 PM IST in summer. The Indian team catches the discussion before leaving the office; the US team takes it early.

The way this goes wrong: US teams schedule 2:00 PM ET calls because "afternoon works for everyone." In January, 2:00 PM ET is 12:30 AM the next day in India. Nobody is at their desk. The only overlap that works: US morning, India evening.

ET to Japan and Korea: 14 hours in winter, 13 in summer

Japan Standard Time (JST) and Korea Standard Time (KST) are both UTC+9. In January, Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of EST. In July, it is 13 hours ahead of EDT.

Afternoon ET equals next morning JST/KST. A 2:00 PM ET call in January becomes 4:00 AM the next day in Tokyo. Unworkable. A 10:00 AM ET call in January becomes midnight in Tokyo. Also unworkable.

The only window: 5:00-7:00 PM ET in winter becomes 7:00-9:00 AM the next day in Tokyo. In summer, 5:00-7:00 PM ET becomes 6:00-8:00 AM. Early for Tokyo but possible. The US team stays late; the Japan team starts early. Neither side loves it, but it is the only overlap.

The common mistake: assuming a morning ET call works because "Japan is ahead." It is ahead by 13-14 hours. Your morning is their middle of the night. You have to meet in your evening.

ET to Australia: 16 hours in January, 14 in July

Sydney and Melbourne are UTC+11 during Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) and UTC+10 during Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Australian summer (December, February) uses AEDT (UTC+11). Australian winter (June, August) uses AEST (UTC+10).

On 15 January (Australian summer, US winter): Sydney is UTC+11, New York is EST (UTC−5). Gap: 16 hours. A 9:00 AM ET call is 1:00 AM the next day in Sydney. Unworkable. A 5:00 PM ET call is 9:00 AM the next day. Possible if the US team works late.

On 15 July (Australian winter, US summer): Sydney is AEST (UTC+10), New York is EDT (UTC−4). Gap: 14 hours. A 5:00 PM ET call is 7:00 AM the next day in Sydney. Better.

Morning ET equals late evening AEDT/AEST. That works for quick check-ins if the US person starts at 8:00 AM and the Australian person stays up until 11:00 PM. Long sessions are brutal for Australia.

The way this goes wrong: people forget that Australian DST runs opposite the Northern Hemisphere. When you spring forward in March, Australia falls back in April. You cannot use a "standard" offset table year-round.

ET to Pacific Time: always 3 hours behind

Los Angeles is 3 hours behind Eastern Time, year-round. When New York is EST, the West Coast city is PST (UTC−8). When New York is EDT, it is PDT (UTC−7). The 3-hour gap never changes because both zones observe DST on the same schedule.

A 10:00 AM ET call is 7:00 AM PT. A 2:00 PM ET call is 11:00 AM PT. The common window is 1:00-4:00 PM ET, which is 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM PT. The West Coast gets a morning session; the East Coast gets an afternoon one.

The mistake: assuming the gap changes. It does not. But people still add the wrong offset during DST transitions because they think "California is on a different schedule." It is not. Both clocks change on the same day at the same local time.

Finding the overlap: best windows by region

Common scheduling mistakes and how to avoid them

The biggest mistake: writing "EST" in a calendar invite for a July call. Calendar apps often treat "EST" as a fixed offset (UTC−5) and do not adjust for DST. Your invite says 10:00 AM EST. The system converts it to 3:00 PM in the British capital. But you meant 10:00 AM EDT, which is 2:00 PM there. Your colleague shows up an hour late.

The fix: use "ET" or "Eastern Time" in the event title. In the event details, write the UTC offset explicitly. "10:00 AM ET (UTC−4 in July)" is unambiguous.

Second mistake: scheduling a session that works for you and assuming it works for everyone. A 2:00 PM ET call is fine for New York and Los Angeles. It is midnight in Mumbai and the middle of the night in Tokyo. You cannot please all time zones in one call. Pick the region that matters most and rotate if you can.

Third mistake: forgetting that some regions do not observe DST. Cancún, Jamaica, and Panama are on Eastern Time year-round with no DST. If you schedule a discussion with someone in Cancún in July, you need EDT offset for New York but EST offset for Cancún. The gap between New York and Cancún becomes one hour in summer even though they share the same nominal zone name. Check the specific city, not just the zone name.

Tools and techniques for cross-time-zone scheduling

Use a world clock tool that shows multiple time zones side by side. Many calendar apps have a "world clock" feature that lets you add time zones to your side panel. When you pick a time, the app shows what time it is in the other zones you have added. That is the fastest way to avoid mistakes.

The backup method: learn the UTC offsets for the places you work with most. The UK capital is UTC+0 in winter, UTC+1 in summer. Paris is UTC+1/UTC+2. Mumbai is UTC+5:30 year-round. Tokyo is UTC+9 year-round. New York is UTC−5/UTC−4. If you know the UTC offsets, you can calculate any time gap in your head. "My call is 10 AM ET in July. ET in July is UTC−4. My colleague in Paris is UTC+2. The gap is 6 hours. 10 AM + 6 = 4 PM Paris." That takes ten seconds.

For recurring sessions, set the event to use the time zone of the person who is least flexible. If your colleague in Tokyo cannot start before 8:00 AM, set the time based on Tokyo and let your calendar show you the ET equivalent. That way you never accidentally schedule during their night.

The one tool to avoid: a static time zone converter that does not update for DST. If you bookmark an "EST to IST converter" in January and use it in July, you will get the wrong answer. Use a tool that knows the current date.

Who should do something different from the default advice? Anyone who schedules with colleagues in Cancún, Jamaica, or Panama. The default advice assumes everyone in the Eastern Time zone observes DST. These places do not. You need to check the actual offset for that city on that date, not the zone name. The same applies if you work with someone in Arizona (Mountain Time, no DST) or Hawaii (Hawaii-Aleutian Time, no DST). The rule "ET is UTC−5 in winter, UTC−4 in summer" is only true for places that follow US DST rules. Many places in the Caribbean and Mexico do not.